Left
あきごとにさきはくれどもをみなへしけふをまつとのなにこそありけれ
| aki goto ni saki wa kuredomo ominaeshi kyō o matsu to no na ni koso arikere | Every single autumn Does her time to bloom arrive, yet This maidenflower Has been waiting for this day Or so the rumour goes! |
5[1]
Right
さやかにもけさはみえずやをみなへしきりのまがきにたちかくれつつ
| sayaka ni mo kesa wa miezu ya ominaeshi kiri no magaki ni tachikakuretsutsu | Clearly This morning I cannot glimpse That maidenflower In the mists along the brushwood fence Ever does she hide herself away. |
6[2]
[1] Shinsen man’yōshū 518
[2] Shinsen man’yōshū 540
Left
をみなへし匂へる野辺にやどりせばあやなくあだの名をやたちなん
| ominaeshi nioeru nobe ni yadoriseba ayanaku ada no na o ya tachinan | A maidenflower Shines in the meadows, and Should I find lodging there, Carelessly, would fickle Rumour arise? |
Ono no Yoshiki
88
Right
秋風にさそはれ来つる雁がねの雲ゐはるかにけふぞ聞ゆる
| akikaze ni sasowarekitsuru kari ga ne no kumoi haruka ni kyō zo kikoyuru | On the autumn breeze Has come, inviting, A goose’s cry From among the distant clouds Today I hear it. |
89
Left.
ひとり寢の床に吹くる秋風のまた我戀をおどろかす哉
| hitorine no toko ni fukikuru akikaze no mata wa ga koi o odorokasu kana |
Sleeping alone To my bed comes blowing The autumn wind, and Again, all my love Returns… |
Lord Kanemune.
927
Right (Win).
つてにだにとはぬ君かな吹風もまつにはことに音する物を
| tsute ni dani towanu kimi kana fuku kaze mo matsu ni wa koto ni otosuru mono o |
If only it brought a rumour Of you, who never comes! The gusting wind From the pines plucks special Sounds… |
The Provisional Master of the Empress’ Household Office.
928
The Right state: what need is there for ‘again’ (mata) in the Left’s poem? The Left state: the Right’s poem is difficult to recite.
In judgement: the Right’s final ‘from the pines plucks special’ (matsu ni wa koto ni) is fine. It must win.